United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps (USMC) America's main rapid reaction force, the USMC. The Marines became a separate service with the establishment of the United States Space Navy in 2154. In 2415, the USMC is composed of three active and three reserve divisions, plus two independent Marine brigades and several independent special duty or special purpose regiments. Additionally, there are five Marine Aerospace Wings (two reserve) and two Marine Aerospace Groups. Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades True to their expeditionary history, the USMC forms battalion and brigade-sized expeditionary task forces. Battalion-sized task forces, known as Marine Expeditionary Units (or, in recent history Marine Assault Units, Marine Interstellar Units, and Marine Orbital Assault Units) are formed around one infantry battalion with attached fire support, tank, and reconnaissance elements, an LMT-77 Comoront dropship squadron, and an LHT-9 Pelican heavy assault dropship squadron. Typically, this entire force is deployed on a single Guadalcanal-class Planetary Assault Carrier. MEUs conduct a vast array of missions, including but not limited to system surveys, search and rescues, colonial evacuations, colonial reliefs, orbital assaults and ship and station boardings. Marine Expeditionary Brigades are scaled-up versions of the MEUs, formed from two or more infantry battalions and a Marine Air Group. Marine Reserve Colonial Program One of the unique roles of the Marine Corps is to provide colonial security for new American colonies. All American government-sponsored settler colonies include an independent Marine reserve platoon, composed of former active duty Marine volunteers who attend a year-long colonial transition course on Mars. While their primary duties are the same as any civilian colonist, they set out for their new colony with weapons, uniforms, armor and secure communications to ensure the security of the new community and and report to the chief colonial administrator. No two reserve platoons are the same, each composed of personnel available at the time, and these personnel come from a variety of occupational specialties from the Fleet. Most serve four years and transition into the colonial program, though some 25 or 30-year retirees also partake. These Marines are trained by the Corps in the transition program to bring a variety of specialized skills to the new colony - including meteorology, dirtside exploration, communications, data services, administration, aerospace monitoring and control, vehicle maintenance and teleoperations that would otherwise require extensively trained civilian technicians. While initially controversial, the Marine Reserve Colonial Program has been responsible for saving many hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives in colonies during times of war or planet-wide chaos. A platoon of fifty-three reservists under Marine Major Tyrone Davis were among the 1200 colonists at the young colony of Boone, on [http://via.wikia.com/wiki/Shangri-La Shangri-La] during the First War of Barnard's Star when the CEDG invaded. A week after the initial invasion, a Chinese battalion from the notorious 88th Division swept into Boone, intent on securing the landing pad and hydroponic complex. Despite knowing that American colonies have some defenses, the Chinese battalion dropped onto the colony from orbit as if on their victory parade, confident that American resistance was crushed by the heavy orbital bombardment and loss of the planet's capitol the day before. The Marines destroyed seven dropships with hand-held aerospace defense missiles within five minutes, killing over two hundred CEDG troops. The platoon, along with over a hundred civilian volunteers, held off subsequent Chinese attacks for three weeks until the commander of the invasion force, Senior Admiral Hu Le made an example of the colony and destroyed it utterly. Every member of the platoon and several civilians received the Navy Cross, Major Davis and three other Marines earned the Medal of Honor and the Battle of Boone went down into Marine Corps lore forever. Marine Divisions '''First Marine Division''' - Camp Pendleton, California, United States -1st Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -5th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -7th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -11th Marine Regiment (five fire support battalions) -Division Troops (HQ Battalion, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Orbital Defense Battalion, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion) '''Second Marine Division''' - Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, United States The 2d Marine Division relocated to Quantico from Camp Lejeune (along with Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island) when the rising sea level ironically made the base untenable as a Marine Corps amphibious facility. The 2d Marine Division provides the command and control elements for the 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the 22d, 24th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units as required. -2d Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -6th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -8th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -10th Marine Regiment (five fire support battalions) -Division Troops (HQ Battalion, 2d Tank Battalion, 2nd Orbital Defense Battalion, 2d Light Armored Scout Battalion, 2d Reconnaissance Battalion) '''Third Marine Division''' - Marine Corps Base Ripper, Columbia Territory, [http://via.wikia.com/wiki/Shangri-La Shangri-La], Epsilon Eridani The 3d Marine Division is the largest Marine Division, serving on Shangri-La. Given Shangri-La's bloody history, the Marines significantly reinforced the division, providing three additional tank battalions for the division. The 3d Marine Division provides the command and control elements for the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the 31st, 33d and 35th Marine Expeditionary Units as required. -4th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -9th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -25th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -12th Marine Regiment (six fire support battalions) -1st Marine Tank Brigade (Provisional) (3rd Tank Battalion, 7th Tank Battalion, 8th Tank Battalion, 3rd Light Armored Scout Battalion) -Division Troops (HQ Battalion, 3rd Orbital Defense Battalion, 13th Orbital Defense Battalion, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion) '''Fourth Marine Division (Reserve)''' - Hall of Montezuma Marine Corps Reserve Facility, Vera Cruz, Mexico The 4th Marine Division is the Fleet Marine Reserve force for the continental United States. The division is broken up into company-sized units in communities throughout the country and are called up as any other reserve component of the United States military. -14th Marine Regiment (four infantry battalions) (eastern United States) -22d Marine Regiment (four infantry battalions) (western United States, Alaska and Hawaii) -24th Marine Regiment (four infantry battalions) (central United States/Mexico) -13th Marine Regiment (six fire support battalions) -Division Troops (HQ Battalion, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Orbital Defense Battalion, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion) '''Fifth Marine Division (Reserve)''' - Tun Tavern Marine Corps Reserve Facility, Carter City, [http://via.wikia.com/wiki/Potomac Potomac], Tau Ceti The 5th Marine Division is the Fleet Marine Reserve force for the all off-world American colonies. The division is broken up into company-sized units in communities throughout incorporated American colonies and are called up as any other reserve component of the United States military. -15th Marine Regiment (four infantry battalions) (Gemini) -21st Marine Regiment (four infantry battalions) (Potomac) -23d Marine Regiment (four infantry battalions) (Potomac) -16th Marine Regiment (three fire support battalions) -Division Troops (HQ Battalion, 5th Tank Battalion, 5th Orbital Defense Battalion, 5th Combat Engineer Battalion, 5th Reconnaissance Battalion) '''Sixth Marine Division (Reserve)''' - Tyrone Davis Marine Corps Reserve Facility, Columbia Territory, [http://via.wikia.com/wiki/Shangri-La Shangri-La], Epsilon Eridani The 6th Marine Division is the Marine Reserve force for Shangri-La. The division is broken up into company-sized units in communities throughout the colony and are called up as any other reserve component of the United States military. The division is generally trained and equipped only to defend Shangri-La, unlike the co-located 3d Marine Division, which is trained and deployed like any other Marine Corps unit in the Fleet. -20th Marine Regiment (four infantry battalions) -21st Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -23d Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -17th Marine Regiment (two fire support battalions) -26th Marine Regiment (four orbital defense battalions) -Division Troops (HQ Battalion, 6th Tank Battalion, 6th Combat Engineer Battalion, 6th Reconnaissance Battalion) Independent Marine Brigades '''Tenth Marine Brigade''' - Camp Valykrie, [http://via.wikia.com/wiki/Valhalla Valhalla], Epsilon Eridani The 10th Marine Brigade is based on the militarized colony world of Valhalla. The planet's low gravity and trace atmosphere allow heavy loads to be lifted into orbit quickly. The brigade provides US policy makers a quick reaction force for use throughout the [http://via.wikia.com/wiki/American_Corridor American Corridor]. -26th Marine Regiment (three infantry battalions) -Brigade Troops (HQ Company, 10th Orbital Defense Battalion, 10th Combat Support Battalion) '''Twelfth Marine Expeditionary Brigade''' - Marine Corps Orbital Facility, Discovery Station, L4, Solar System The 12th Marine Expeditionary Brigade provides zero-g trained forces for deployment about USSN warships and is host to the Marine Corps Orbital Combat School. Marines of the 12th Marine Brigade are specially trained and equipped for operations in zero or microgravity, assault boarding operations and are generally deployed in platoon or company-sized units aboard capital ships as required. -27th Marine Regiment (two infantry battalions) -VMOAT-112 (orbital assault shuttle training squadron) -Marine Corps Orbital Combat School (five training companies) Marine Corps Special Operations Command '''Marine Raider Regiment - '''Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, California, United States (four Raider Battalions) Marine Raiders provide well-trained, clandestine direct action assault forces to the USMC for use in orbit and on-world. '''Force Reconnaissance Regiment''' - Marine Corps Base Ripper, Columbia Territory, Shangri-La, Epsilon Eridani (three recon battalions) The Force Reconnaissance Regiment provides small clandestine and covert long-range reconnaissance teams to the USMC. Independent Marine Regiments '''Marine Corps Colonial Regiment''' -1st Marine Reserve Battalion: (inactive, was on Gemini, reformed as 15th Marine Regiment, FMFR). -2d Marine Reserve Battalion: Command and control over Marine reserve platoons in colonies on Apollo, Eta Cassiopeiae A system. -3d Marine Reserve Battalion: (inactive, was on Shangri-La, reformed as 20th Marine Regiment, FMFR). -4th Marine Reserve Battalion: (inactive, was on Potomac, reformed as 21st Marine Regiment, FMFR). -5th Marine Reserve Battalion: Command and control over Marine reserve platoons in colonies on Sierra Rojo, Tau Ceti system -6th Marine Reserve Battalion: Command and control over Marine reserve platoons in colonies on Hot Springs, Epsilon Eridani system -7th Marine Reserve Battalion: Command and control over Marine reserve platoons in colonies on Valhalla, Epsilon Eridani system '''Marine Corps Security Force Regiment''' '''Marine Corps Embassy Security Group'''